Sofa bed



SeptQll, 1951 w. w. WILSON SOFA BED '5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 26, 1945 INVENTOR. W/u. MM W.-W/1. saN

W. W. WILSON Sept; 11, 1951 SOFA BED 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 26, 1945 INVENTOR. WILL/HM W WILSON W. W. WILSON Sept. 11, 1951 SOFA BED 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 26, 1945 I N VEN TOR.

W/1. /./4M W WILSON ,tions which they occupy Patented Sept. 1'1, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOFA BED William W. Wilson, Memphis, Tenn.- Application May 26, 1945, Serial No. 595,894

9 Claims.

This invention relates to sofa bed hinges and supports of that well known type in which brackets pivotally hinged together are secured respectively to the lower end of the back and the rear end of the seat and the hinge is carried by a pair of upwardly extending swinging arms which are pivotally supported by attachment at their lower ends to a base member, and it further relates to the latch member and trip by which the seat and back are braced apart in certain positions and in others are interlocked to accomplish shift from sofa to bed positions and back again.

The objects of the present invention are:

To provide means for assisting in shifting the seat and back from sofa position;

'To provide means for stopping the movement of the seat and back toward sofa position, as the seat and back reach such position;

To provide latch means which will positively remain in bracing position against any except intentional dislodgement;

To provide a latch and trip in which engagement of the trip with an abutment pin in movements of the seat from bed positions, is positive and accidentaldislodgement is substantially impossible;

, To provide a latch and trip in which disengagement of the abutment pin from the latch and trip in movement from an intermediate shift position to bed position is definite and hanging is impossible; and

To provide a latch arm and trip of improved design and construction.

The means by which the foregoing and other objects are accomplished, and the manner of their accomplishment, will be readily understood from the following specification upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the sofa bed in sofa position.

.Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the latch and trip with the pivot and abutment pin in the posiin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of a portion of one of the support arms, showing attachment of a spring thereto.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the sofa bed with the back shifted into bed position and the seat in furtherest position of intermediate movement and ready to begin return movement to bed position.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the latch and trip with the pivot and abutment pins in the positions which they occupy when the seat has been moved 'fromsofaposition to the position shown in Fig.

connected by a pintle pin nected at its upper end pin 29 to the frame by the pintle pin 2!, and at pivotally secured;

- positions,

from the ai-m23. The pin 4| Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the latch andtrip and the pivot and abutment pins in the positions they occupy at such time.

Fig. 10' is a similar scale outline of the latch only; and

Fig. 11 a latch trip and abutment pin view in an intermediate position between the positions of Figs. 2 and 6. I

Referring now to the drawings in which the various parts are indicated by numerals:

H1 is the back of a sofa bed, and I3 the seat, 15 is a hinge member secured to the bottom edge of the back, and I! the complementary hinge member secured to the rear edge of the seat, it being understood that these parts and substantially all the parts hereinafter described, are duplicated at the opposite end of the bed. I9 is a frame from which the seat and back are supported. 1

The hinge members l5 and I! are pivotally 2| and the hinge thus formed is supported by back and-front arms 23 and 25, the back arm 23 being pivotally contothe hinge member 15 and at its lower end by a pivot 19. The front arm 25 is its upper end to the hinge its lower end to the by a pivot pin 21 pivotally connected at frame 19 by'a pivot pin 3|.

The hinge member I! extendsrearwardly past the pintle pin 2| and carries a stop pin 33 which is adapted to'engage and seat against a shoulder 23A on the arm 23 substantially at the junction of the shoulder with the front'edge of the arm itself when the seat and back are shifted to sofa position. The back arm 23 has a rearwardly extending lug 233 to which a tension spring 36 is Secured-to the frontarm 25 as by a pivot pin '31, is a stop arm 39 which is of length to extend rearward beyond the back arm 23 in any'and all the stop arm 33 being provided with a slot 39A which embraces a pin 4! projecting is positioned'much enlarged view of the latch 3 closer to the pivot 29 of the arm 23 than the pin 31 to the pivot 3| of the arm 25, providing a more rapid rearward movement of the slot 39A than of the pin 4|, and causing the front end of the slot to seat against the pin 4| a the seat and back reach sofa position shown in Fig. 1.

The spring 35 is secured at its outer end, as

by a pin 43, to the rear end of the arm 39, the arm being made of such length that when the seat and back are in sofa position the spring 35 will be under tension and acts to urge movement of the seat and back away from such sofa position. The spring 35 is secured to the inner sides of the lug 23B and of the stop arm 39 so that it overlies the upper edge of the adjacent member of the frame l9 and is shielded in all positions by the stop arm 39 and under and overlying portions of the frame and back from engagement with overhanging draperies of upholstering. I Cooperating with the hinge members 5 and I1 is a latch 45 which is pivotally attached at its rear end to the back hinge member l5 by a latch pivot pin 41 and at its front end is notched for engagement with an abutment pin 49 carried by the hinge member 1. The latch carries a dog SI and is on the inner side of the hinge members, and, being substantially hidden in Figs. 1, 4 and 7, has been enlarged and shown in Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 8 respectively in the same position which it occupies in Figs. 1, 4 and 7, and as though the hinge members and arms had been cut away.

Adjacent its front end the latch 45 (Fig. 9) is upwardly notched and rearwardly recessed to form a rearwardly facing shoulder 45A at right angles to its bottom edge, and an opposite deeply recessed abutment pin seat 45B facing forwardly and downwardly toward said shoulder.

Rearwardly of the seat 453 the latch carries a pin 53 which forms the dog pivot. The rear side of the notch extends rearwardly downward and arcuately below the pin and the lower side 45C of the latch, and thence upwardly to a junction with the side 45C rearwardly of the pin, to form a camming shoulder 45D and divert the abutment pin' 49 (Fig. 9) outward as it enters the dog throat 5 IF.

Adjacent the rear end of the latch is a hole 45E for the latch pivot pin 41. 55 and 51 are stops carried by the latch respectively forward and rearward of pin 53, which limit turning movement of the dog 5| in opposite directions. The dog 5| has a hole therethrough for the pivot 53 by which it is secured tothe latch and on which it pivots. The dog is heavy on oneside and much lighter on the opposite'side, preferably about one-half 5|A of the dog being semicircular about the pin 53'to form the heavy half. 5| Bis a lug, preferably located at one end of the two halves, the opposite end of the heavy half is notched to form a recess extending away from the pivot pin 53, the recess having oppositely faced seats 5|C and 5|D respectively substantially the same distance from the pin 53 as are the latch seat 45B and the shoulder 45A from the same pin, and the throat 5 IF which leads-into the inner end of the recess and the seat 5|D, which is deeply indented. The other half of the dog is substantially narrower than the just described heavy half-and the end opposite the lug 5|B is truncated to form a cam 5|G extending from the cam entrance throat 5-lFand terminating in a trip seat 5 IH, the cam being spaced from thepin 53 in excess of the depth of the camming shoulder 45B of the latch below the pin. I

In use, when the seat and back are in sofa position, as shown in Fig. 1, the front of the seat is supported by the frame I9 and the rear end of the seat and the back are supported by the arms 23 and 25, the back being braced against rearward movement by the pin 33 of the bracket I1, engaging the shoulder 23A substantially at the junction of the shoulder with the front edge of the arm 23, and additionally by seating of the forward end of the slot 39A against the pin 4|, and the back is braced against forward movement by engagement of the notch of the latch 45, with the abutment pin 49, Fig. 2, the pin being at such time in the notch of the dog 5| and positioning the dog.

At the same time the spring 35 has been extended by rearward movement of the stop arm 39 and is exerting a forward pull on this arm and through it on the arm 25, tending to move the seat and back away from sofa position, but insufiicient to actually cause such movement.

To shift from sofa position to bed position, the front edge of the seat is raised, the force necessary being decreased by the pull of the spring 35 on the arm 39. Initially the seat acts as a lever to raise the pin 2| about the pin 33 which is seated against the shoulder 23A as an abutment, and start the movement. As this upward movement ofthe seat begins the pin 49 is moved away from the latch seat 45B and from the contiguous seat 5|C of the dog notch into engagement with the oppositely facing seat 5| D of the notch, and also into engagement with the shoulder 45A at the front end of the latch, and through these engagements with the latch, pulls the back and the upper ends of the support arms 23 and 25 forward and upward about the lower support pins 29 and 3| of these arms, the movement of the upper ends of the-arms concurrently swinging the upper end of the back rearward and downward.

As this movement progresses the center of gravity of the back is rearwardly shifted until, as the seat approaches the'dotted position 13X, of Fig. 4 (and the latch, the position detailed in Fig. '7), the downward pull of the back becomes suflicient to accomplish further movements, and to change the pull of the latch 45 on the back to a push of the back on the latch, shifting the latch 45 forward and upward, disengagingthe abutment pin 49 from the dog recess and seat 5| D with the latch seat 5513 (Fig. 7) and permits the over-balancing weight of the heavy half' 5|A of the dog tO'SWiIlg the dog into the position there shown, and stopped by engagement of the opposite seat 5|C with the pin. As the seat reaches the dotted position IBX, of Fig. 4, the

back seats on the frame I9 and further movement of the seat is pivotal about the pintle pin 2 I. Movement of the seat is, however, continued, shifting the abutment pin 49 outward and through the dogthroat 5|F until movement is stopped by the latch shoulder 45A, the seat being then in the position '|3Y. As the abutment pin-clears the dog throat 5|F, the dog further turns under the action of gravity, until such turningmovement is stopped by engagement of the lug5lB with the stop 55, this turning shift moving the cam 5|G of the dog beneath the abutment pin. The seat is then returned from the position I3Y, of Fig. 4, to bed position, Fig. 8, the abutment pin camming along the surface 5| G of the dog until the trip seat Bill is reached, after which theseat and pin move together around and beneath the underside of the latch, the pin 49 slides along thelatch to the position shown in Fig. 9, andthe inclination of the latchflattens toward horizon- "flames tal; Turning of the dog under the'action of the abutment pin shifts the lugs 51B away from the stop 55 and over-balances the dog which continues to turn until stopped'by engagement of the lug MB and the stop 51 with the throat 51F facing along the underside of the latch toward the 49 From bed position, of Fig. 8, and the latch'position, Fig. 9, the seat I3 is raised to the position I3Y, of Fig. 5, the back remaining undisturbed on and supported by the frame. In this movement the pin 49-enters the-dog notch through the facing throat 5IF, is forced by the camming shoulder 45D of the latch toward the recess seat 5ID of the dog, and turns the dog until the heavy side of the dog takes over-and turns the dog against the pin. In Fig. 11, shift of the dog has occurred, but the pin and cam still control. Further shift of the pin under seat movement moves the pin outward solidlyagainst the dog r cess seat 5ID and the latch shoulder 45A (Fig. 6) and stops seat movement in the position I3Y, with the pin at the entrance to the latch recess 45B, and dog shift prevented by engagement with the pin. Forward and downward return movement of the seat shifts the pin into the latch recess,both the weight ofthe latch and turning pull of the dog urging such engagement. Movement is continued until the seat comes to rest on the frame .l9, and through the-latch the back is shifted to sofa position. As this movement progresses, the spring 35 is brought under tension, as seating occurs, the pin 33 engages the shoulder 33A of the arm .23 and the end of the slot 39A of the stop arm engages the pin 4|, establishing the originally described positionings and conditions of Fig. l.

p I claim: a

1. In a sofa bed, including a set and a back, having seat and back members respectively secured thereto, pivot means hinging said members together, and latch means coupling said members, a frame, and front and rear supporting arms, both pivotally connected at their lower ends to said frame, and respectively pivotally connected at their upper ends to said hinge pivot means and to said back member rearwardly of said pivot means, said rear arm having adjacent its upper end a shoulder, and said seat member including a part extending rearward of said hinge pivot into seating engagement with said shoulder, when said seat and back are in sofa position, to stop movement of said arms and brace said back.

2. In a sofa bed, including a seat and aback, having seat and back members respectively secured thereto, pivot means hinging said members together, and latch means coupling said members, a frame, and front and rear supporting arms, both pivotally connected at their lower ends to said frame, and respectively pivotally connected at their upper ends to said hinge pivot means and to said back member rearwardly of said pivot means, a pin carried by said rear arm adjacent its lower end, a stop arm pivotally connected at its front end to said front arm above said rear arm pin, and slotted intermediate its length to slidingly engage said pin, the forward end of said slot seating against said pin when said back and seat are in sofa position to stop further movement of said support arm and effect bracing of said back, said stop arm extending beyond said rear support arm, and a tension spring of closed length less than said extension, secured to the easing the final seating movement, and

rear end'of saidstop arm and to said rear support arm to exert forward pull on said front supporting arm as said seat and back approach or leave sofa position.

3. In a sofa bed, including a seat and a back, having seat and back members respectively secured thereto, pivot means hinging said members together, and latch means coupling said members, a frame, and front and rear supporting arms, both pivotally connected at their lower ends to said frame, and respectively pivotally connected at'their upper ends to said hinge pivot means and to said back member rearwardly of said pivot means, a pin carried by said rear arm adjacent its lower end, said rear arm having adjacent its upper end a shoulder, and said seat member including a part extending rearward of said hinge pivot into seating engagement with said shoulder, when said seat and back are in sofa position, a stop arm pivotally connected at its front end to said front arm above said rear arm pin, and slotted intermediate its length to slidingly engage said pin, the forward end of said slot seating against said pin when said back and seat are in sofa position, to stop further movement of said support arm, said shoulder and cooperating hinge part, and said pin and slot engagement cooperating to brace said back in sofa position, said stop arm extending beyond said rear support arm, and a tension spring of less closed length than said extension secured to the rear end of said stop arm and to said rear support arm to exert forward pull on said stop and front supporting arm, as said seat and back approach or leave sofa position.

4. In a sofa bed, including a seat and a back, having seat and back members respectively secured thereto, pivot means hinging said members together, and latch means coupling said members, a frame, and front and rear support ing arms, both pivotally connected at their lower endsto said frame, and respectively pivotally connected at their upper ends to said hinge pivot means and to said back member rearwardly of said pivot means, and a stop arm pivotally con-'- nected at its front end to said front arm, and extending beyond said rear support arm, and a tension spring of less closed length than said extension secured to the rear end of said stop arm and to said rear support arm to exert forward pull on said front supporting arm when said seat and back are in sofa position.

5. In a sofa bed, including seat and back sections, pivot means hinging said sections together, and latch means coupling said sections, a frame, and front and rear supporting arms, both pivotally connected at their lower ends to said frame, and respectively pivotally connected to their upper ends to said hinge pivot means and to said back section rearwardly of said pivot means, and a stop arm pivotally connected at one end to a first of said support arms, and extending beyond the second said support arm, and a tension spring of less closed length than said extension secured to the extending end of said stop arm and to said second support arm to exert forward pull on said front supporting arm when said seat and back are in sofa position.

6. In a sofa bed, including seat and back sections, pivot means hinging said sections together, and latch means coupling said members; a frame, and front and rear supporting arms, both pivotally connected at their lower ends to said frame, and respectively pivotally connected at their upper ends to said hinge pivot means and to said back member rearwardly v of said .pivot Incense-stop arm pivotally connected at oneend to a first said support arm, and extendingbeyond the second said support arm,'sa-id' extending.portionfbeing longitudinallyslotted, andastop pin carried by said second arm disposed through said slot, said slot terminating in a closed end posi 'tioned -to seat against saidstop .pin,,as said back reaches sofa-position. V I '7, In cooperation with a sofa'bed hinge and v an abutment pin carried thereby, a latch and a dog pivoted to said latch said latch-and dogbeing notched to formsubstantially' equal lengthrpin receiving recesses, and entrance openings leading lthereinto, said recesses being disposed with their inner ends-equally spaced from saidpivot, ex-

tending therefrom and diverging relatively the one totthe other, said latch recess divergence being outward and downward, and said entrance being at the outer end of said recess, said dogenctrancebeing at the inner end of its sai'di'recess, said dog-having a camming edgelextending away fromsaidentrance and terminating inapin engaging seat, said edge being spaced from said pivotlin excess of the depth of said latch below saidpivot, said dog being heavier on its recessed sidevandoppositely to said camming edge than oppositely thereto, and responsive 'to' such weighting shifting in response to latch movem'ents means carried'by said dog, and means carried by said .latch cooperating to limit turning movement-of said dog in one direction to position said dog entrance, and oppositely to position said dog camming edge in pin engaging relation below said'latch.

8t. In a sofa bed'hinge, including hinge mem bers, latching means including an abutment pin carried by one hinge member, and a latch swing- .ingly attached at its inner end to the other said member and extending into overlying relation with said abutment pin, and beingshiftable with relation thereto, said latch at its outer end being notched for pin engagement, a dog pivotally at tached to said latch adjacent the outer end of said latch, said dog being indented outwardly from its attachment'to form a pin receiving rewith said abutment pin, and being shiftable with said entrance being adjacent the inner end of said recess and being spaced'to underlie said latch and faced to receive said abutment when said abutment is shifted outward along said latch,

8. said dog having-acamming edgeextending away fromisaid entrance and terminating ina pin engagingseat, the lower edgeof said latch having a. downwardly bulging portion overriding said abutment pin-toraise said latch and 'dog and alinesaid dog recess entrance with said pin.

9. In a sofa bed, including back and seatmem bers hingedtogether; an. abutment carried by one of :saidmembers, a latch pivotally attached at-its rear end to the other of said members and extending into'overlying relation with said abutment, a cooperativedog and a pin pivotallyatp taching. said dog to said latch, said latch forwardly'from. said pin'being forwardly and downwardly recessed and upwardly notched into the forward end of said recess, to receive saidabutment, said dog having a substantially semi-circular heavy half-concentric with said pivot pin, a muchlighter opposite half and a, projecting lug, and beingrpositioned by said pin in overlying-relation toisaid latch notch; said heavy half being indented at one end to form a'recess spaced equally with'said latch'recess from said pin, extending 'outward from said pin, and being notched-at the inner end of said recess to receive said-abutment, said lighter half being cut away at the same end .to form a camming surface extend.-

.ing from'said notch and spaced from said pivot to extend below said latch, said surfaceterminat-in ina trip lug, andmeans .carried'by' said latch cooperating "with said ing for respectively limiting turn of said dog. in one direction to face said dog notch rearwardly 'belowisaid latch, and in oppo site direction, with saidcamming surface in underlying relationito said latch.

WILLIAM'W. WILSON.

REFERENCES CITED- The following references are of record in the file'of this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS "Number Name Date 835,179 Crouch Nov. 6, 1906 1,378,! 'Karpen Sept. 20, 1-932 236;351 Kra kauer Mar. 25,1911 2,291,677 'Bank Aug. 4, 1942 23172105 Neunherz r Apr. "20, 1943 I "2133{1393 vJohnson Nov. 1-6, 1943 2337949 FOX et a1. Mar; 16, 1948 

